MONTEVIDEO, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people died, including five minors and two elderly adults, after a fire destroyed a house Wednesday morning in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, according to the national fire department.

The blaze broke out around 6 a.m. local time at a house in the Villa Espanola district, the department said.

"We are working to determine the causes and origin of the fire. We cannot rule anything out, it would be too hasty," fire department spokeswoman Victoria Barboza told local press near the burned-down house, a five-bedroom property that was completely consumed by the blaze.

Firefighters arriving at the scene found the fire had spread throughout the interior, the department's preliminary report said.

So far this year, Uruguay has seen at least 37 deaths from fires in urban areas, according to fire department statistics. ■